“What’s puerh tea, and why should I drink it?” We hear these questions every day in the tea shop. Fortunately, we love to talk about it! Puerh teas fill a small section of our tea library, but we enjoy them with an outsize affection and enthusiasm.

Boo covers the basics in this short video.

What’s puerh tea?

Puerh stands apart from other tea types—black, green, oolong, etc—because the process includes a microbial fermentation step. More generally, people classify fermented teas as “dark” teas. Puerhs, which come from China’s Yunnan Province, are the best known subset of dark teas.

Puerh comes in loose leaf form, or pressed into cakes for easier storage: either single-serving tuocha “bowls” or “nests”, or larger cakes like this one, from which you cut or break off pieces. In all cases, the tea loosens up and expands when steeped, like any other tea. However, different fermentation methods produce two distinct types of puerh:

• Shou (or ripe) puerh: quicker fermentation process, very dark liquor, earthy-to-musty flavor.
• Green (raw, or sheng) puerh: slower fermentation, lighter liquor, more floral, fruity, and/or mossy notes.

These teas mature with age, like wine or cheese. Over many years, a green puerh will develop the most-prized characteristics of both varieties. In the video, Boo highlights a few of our favorites.

• Chocolate Mint Puerh: a loose leaf shou puerh, blended with cacao and peppermint. Delicious, smooth, and soothing.
• Sticky Rice: a tuocha cake that includes a Chinese herb that both smells and tastes like sticky rice.
• Green Puerh: a loose leaf green puerh from the ancient tea trees; woodsy, mossy, and buttery, with stone fruit notes.

Why should I drink it?

Puerh teas deliver many steeps, which means you get great value for your tea dollar. They also resist bitterness, no matter how you brew them. Traditional preparations may begin with a 30 second steep, while some people may brew a shou puerh for 30 minutes, getting the darkest, richest, thickest, way-better-than-coffee cup of tea you can find.

Also, like any fermented food, the microbes present in puerh tea seem to work wonders in the human body. People believe that puerh aids digestion and boosts immunity. The fermentation process also leaches some caffeine from the tea leaves, which means you can drink more tea, and drink it later into the day. If you enjoy the health benefits of tea, but you find that black or green teas don’t always agree with you, try puerh for a gentler experience on your gut—as well as a brand new tasting experience.

Next time someone asks you, “What’s puerh tea and why should I drink it?”, you’ll be ready! Or send them to us; we love to tout our favorites.